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Assault rifles refer to both the weapon type and the combat-oriented talent available only to Soldiers, the Turian Agent, and the Krogan Battlemaster as a starting talent. Assault rifles are designed for any combat situation, allowing for close-, medium-, and even (in the right circumstances) long-range combat.

Their automatic fire makes assault rifles perfectly designed for taking down enemies quickly or providing cover fire, but due to their high recoil, sniping with assault rifles is very difficult. Short, controlled bursts and a crouching stance are required to hit anything at long range. At close range, spraying bullets into a target is effective, if not as quick as a shotgun blast.

The Assault Rifle talent unlocks the Overkill ability. When active this causes the assault rifle to generate less heat (thus taking longer to overheat) and increases accuracy.

Assault Rifles is an excellent bonus talent for biotic or tech-focused characters. They have a rate of fire of 10 shots per second.

Overkill is used by characters that can specialize in assault rifles. Soldiers, the Turian Agent, and the Krogan Battlemaster can learn this skill. It allows for firing of the rifle for long periods, with seriously reduced overheating and extra accuracy.

Assault rifles in Mass Effect 2 are a class of rapid firing ranged weapons, which also encompasses battle rifles, marksman rifles and light machine guns. All assault rifles benefit from the short-range damage bonus. The Soldier is the only player class that starts with training in assault rifles, while other player classes may choose to specialize in assault rifles later during the game. The following squadmates also utilize assault rifles: Garrus, Grunt, Legion, Samara/Morinth, and Zaeed.

No longer exclusive to the Soldier, Assault Rifles are a viable option for any class. Their consistent rate of fire and damage output makes them an appealing choice for most play styles. The following squadmates utilize assault rifles: Ashley, Garrus, James, Javik, Kaidan, Grunt, Nyreen, Samara, and Zaeed.

Below is a list of the types of assault rifles in Mass Effect 3 and their base stats. Note that WCFDA stands for weight, capacity, fire rate, damage, and accuracy. The relevant values for those statistics are presented in that order.

Augmentations are semi-permanent customizations to crafted weapons or armor in Mass Effect: Andromeda. When a weapon is created during Development (crafting), hexagonal-shaped sockets are available to add augmentations to the weapon. These augmentations cannot be changed like weapon Mods and stay part of that weapon until it is deconstructed.